Wow!!!!! It happened!!!! The H.I.K.E. 2023 raised 1,197,745….Yep…One million, one hundred ninety-seven thousand, seven hundred forty-five (Serbian Dinar). OK, in US dollars it would be Continue reading
Author: ptriller
Still Crazy After All These Years.
After over seven years of working with kids in Serbia, it just keeps getting better and better. Little did we know when this all started in 2016 so many lives could be touched.
Looking back a bit…we started with 4 kids in 2016. The numbers grew to 11, Continue reading
Small Month…Big News!!!
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better – they did! But not without a few bumps along the road.
A bit of background. We have been using the community centers in the villages where we have been most active, Mali Beograd and Šangaj. We have always done our best to respect the facilities and the people who work there. But, somehow we upset one of the directors to the point he not only refuses to allow us to use the center, he is even blocking our calls. Continue reading
Wow…and more wow!!!!
We have been praying for this for years………
It was April 2012 when we first visited the city which became our home. The visit included a walk through one of the worst neighbourhoods we have ever seen. Condescendingly called “The Big Pit” by the locals, it was where our hearts were broken to the point of saying…something has to be done! Something was…The Propel Initiative.
Summertime Fun!!!
Wow! It has been three years since we’ve been able to host a Summer Education Camp in the village of Šangaj. But last week….the kids were back…we were back…and the local community center was more than happy to have us use their facility. Over the course of four days the kids had a blast as they learned some valuable life lessons disguised as characters from… Continue reading
Spring Update
Greetings from Serbia. Happy Spring!!!
What’s been happening?
The early part of the year is usually quiet for us. It is a time of planning and grant writing and preparing for the coming school year. It is also a time of rest and personal rejuvenation…usually. This year took a left turn in January… Continue reading
Thanks …in advance!!
In 2016 we gave our hearts and lives to help Serbian Roma kids get an education. Not just to learn stuff, but to help them start their own cycles of generational success.
- Having an education empowers them to overcome the inertia of generational ignorance and poverty.
- Having an education frees them from the curse of living hand-me-down lives.
- Having an education gives them the opportunity to determine their tomorrows.
Our hearts are still in this, as too are our lives, but we need some help.
Huge Appreciation Edition!!!
Wow! It was 12 years ago this month we left home for the UK. On 15 July 2009 we stepped off a plane in Birmingham UK to start our 3-year long stint with Next Level International. Little did we know!
We could cover all the ups and downs of the past 12 years, but there is something much more important to celebrate Continue reading
Take a HIKE
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, we proudly announce The H.I.K.E. 2021 is alive and well and on the calendar for September!!!!
Yippppppppppppeeeeeeee!!!!! We’re back!!! And we are ready!!!!
– The team is in training (I hope).
– The route has been mapped out. (The Great Glen Way, Scotland)
– Distance: 120 KM
– Dates:12-17 September 2021 (tentative)
– Loch Ness Monster sightings (possible)
This is the 4th Annual The H.I.K.E. event. Continue reading
Even in the Quietest Moment
Without rehashing a litany of pandemic perils and plaints…this last year was interesting. But, despite lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions, and limited social interaction, we still see great things happening.
It is like watching one of the nature films showing how life returns to a forest after a devastating fire…little buds of plants and flowers start growing up through the quiet hush beneath the ashes. Life goes on….
Can we share some beautiful success stories with you? Continue reading